A group of clergy sex abuse victims is publicly begging a California Catholic bishop to open his financial records and hold open meetings throughout his diocese before deciding whether to seek bankruptcy protection.

Leaders with the Chicago-based SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests are writing Stockton’s Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, urging caution before taking “a radical, risky step that may prolong the pain so many Catholics and victims still feel, and delay the healing so many Catholics and victims deeply deserve.”

They want Blaire to allow “independent auditors to examine the diocese’s checking accounts, savings accounts, stocks, bonds, property and insurance policies” so “there can be an objective determination about whether church officials have sufficient resources to help victims.”

“Until you take this simple step toward being open and building trust, reasonable people will doubt your claims of ‘poverty,’” said the letter.

The group also wants Blaire to hold open meetings in all of the diocese’s ‘deaneries,’ or regions, before making a decision about a possible bankruptcy.

“Before considering extreme and even more costly legal moves, you owe it to your parishioners to speak directly with them and listen openly to them,” the letter said. “We fear that complex legal maneuvers would mire all parties – victims, parishioners, clergy and diocesan employees - in a long-standing festering wound, instead of bringing a prompt and just resolution.”

A copy of the letter sent to Blaire this morning by fax is below:

Dear Bishop Blaire:

Today we write to you about your threat to seek bankruptcy protection in response to abuse and cover up lawsuits brought by victims of clergy sex crimes. Rather than risk exposing the calculated cover up of pedophile priests’ behavior, you apparently would rather rush the parishioners of the Stockton Diocese into federal bankruptcy court.

Bankruptcy is a radical, risky step that may well prolong the pain so many Catholics and victims still feel, and delay the healing so many Catholics and victims deeply deserve.

We urge you to allow independent auditors to examine the diocese’s checking accounts, savings accounts, stocks, bonds, property and insurance policies so there can be an objective determination about whether church officials have sufficient resources to help victims. Until you take this simple step toward being open and building trust, reasonable people will doubt your claims of ‘poverty.’

We ask you to hold open meetings in each of the deaneries to begin a dialogue with your flock regarding the financial options being explored by diocesan officials. Before considering any extreme and dreadfully costly legal moves, you owe this kind of “openness” to your parishioners.